Pitt senior Cal Adomitis' job is a snap, but not as easy as it looks

On good days, Cal Adomitis’ job takes him less than three-quarters of a second to complete.

Bet you can’t blink that fast.

Of course, the Pitt senior completes it multiple times in most games — usually on target, which is good because his position demands perfection.

Adomitis, 23, is approaching his fifth season as Pitt’s long snapper, and if it seems like he is swallowed by anonymity, know this:

If his snaps were even an inch off line on their way to holder/punter/roommate Kirk Christodoulou, kicker Alex Kessman might not have set Pitt records for career field goals (69) and longest field goal (58 yards last year at Boston College). In addition, Pitt set a school record for net punting average (41.9 yards).

Adomitis began long snapping at Central Catholic for WPIAL championship teams in 2015 and ’16.

“We had a pretty loaded team,” he said.

At the suggestion of his father, Andy, he started long snapping as a way to get on the field more often.

“I realized it was clicking pretty quickly for me, and I figured it’s something I should pursue,” he said. “Especially nowadays, they’re giving scholarships to long snappers. It’s really something, I feel, in the last five years has taken off.”

Adomitis went to Pitt as a walk-on in 2017 and immediately won the starting job as a freshman. He was awarded a scholarship a year later.

When he bends over the football in the 2021 opener against UMass on Sept. 4, it will mark his 51st consecutive appearance in a Panthers uniform. He is one of 13 super seniors who returned this season, courtesy of the NCAA. He was named Monday to the 31-man watch list for Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the nation’s best long snapper.

Adomitis, who has a bachelor’s degree in economics and is enrolled in Pitt’s Katz Graduate School of Business, said there’s an important metric involved in long snapping. Snaps should take no longer than three-quarters of a second to reach the punter’s hands.

Speed to the holder on placements isn’t as critical, but the laces better be turned away from the kicker.

“The goal is to not make (the holder) spin it,” he said. “(Spinning) makes it visually more challenging for the kicker — to kick a ball that he sees is being spun, as opposed to it’s down and it’s ready to go.”

Adomitis said his best has been 0.69 seconds. “Maybe there was a little breeze helping me out,” he said.

He’s found video of former NFL long snapper Nick Sundberg getting it close to 0.6.

With a straight face, Adomitis said, “That tenth of a second from 0.7 to 0.6 is huge in terms of mph. With 15 yards (from snapper to punter), it’s a big difference in speed.

“You get to a point where you snap so many balls, if you let your muscle memory take over, you’re going to throw the same ball every time.”

Of course, he must be careful not to get too strong, throw the ball harder and get too many or too few rotations (on placements). In that case, he might have to move up or back a hair.

“It’s a lot of physics,” he said. “I took it in high school. It wasn’t my favorite class.”

Perhaps it’s a good thing Adomitis and Christodoulou have been together for three years. This season, they are breaking in a new kicker, with redshirt sophomore Sam Scarton and redshirt freshman Ben Sauls competing to replace Kessman.

“They both killed it in spring ball,” Adomitis said. “They were in the 90% for makes. Stinks that one is going to take the forefront, but they’re both awesome kickers.”

Looking big picture, Adomitis said he is impressed by how many players are taking ownership of this year’s team.

“That’s something every senior likes to say and sometimes wants to see even if it’s not happening,” he said. “But I think across the board in the discussions we’ve had with the coaches and trainers and some other people who are mentors to this team, it seems like there’s a lot of ownership being taken.”

In previous seasons, he said, “(Leadership) was something where everyone would look to three or four guys who were the captains. It’s good to have concise leadership and a couple guys who lead the charge.

“It’s also good to have across the board a larger proportion of the team, say, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better to better the team?’ ”

Next stop for Adomitis? The NFL is the goal.

“I have a humble role on the team, but I really love football and love doing anything related to football,” he said. “It’s definitely something I’m going to pursue until I can’t anymore.”

And you can bet those long, golden locks will accompany him on his journey.

“At this point, it’s kind of become my persona as a football player,” he said, “so I think I’ll ride it out as long as I’m playing ball. Best case scenario, I won’t cut it for 20 years because I’ll be playing football for 20 more years.”

Pitt athletics

Cal Adomitis is entering his senior season with the 2021 Pitt football team.